Mosques, Cairo

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The first stop of our Cairo tour was at the mosque of Muhammad Ali which was commissioned by Muhammad Ali (the ruler not the boxer) between 1830 and 1848. Thats about as much history as I can be bothered to write as I think this sort of thing is best learned while you are there and experiencing it.

Ladies, you will be expected to wear a green tent like thing if you aren't covered up. These are free of charge but pretty irritating when you are trying to take pictures. Everyone is also expected to remove their shoes which makes it even more awkward trying to carry your shoes, wear a green tent and take photos! However, you will get some pretty pictures.
Outside the mosque you will get a good view of Cairo. See my pictures for more!

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Named after the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim, this mosque is one of a few remaining Fatimid-period structures in Cairo, completed in 1013 AD. The mosque underwent a sorry restoration project in 1981 which saw the introduction of shiny marble and other non-original modern materials to the mosque. Sadly, it has ruined the interior, but the exterior of the mosque has conserved some of its original details. The two incense-burner minarets were added in 1303 after an earthquake, but their square bases are original and are the oldest surviving minarets in Cairo. Caliph al-Hakim was known as the "Mad Caliph" and for good reason. His crazy period of rule triggered some seismic events in the region that arguably still affect the world to this day. The list of crazy actions would take an entire thesis to list, and range from eccentric prohibitions to severe intolerance of everything, including women and religious minorities, which was quite contrary to typical Moslem lands at the time. He ordered the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, an event which indirectly led to the Crusades some years later. He also proclaimed divinity at the end of his rule and his followers later fled to Syria and Lebanon where they established the Druze sect. Al-Hakim's rule ended by his mysterious disappearance one day, although many say he was probably murdered. His successors attempted to undo much of his craziness, but this also led to the neglect of his namesake mosque, which was used at various times as a prison for Crusader captives, a warehouse, a stable by Saladdin, a military barracks by Napoléon Bonaparte, and a school during the Nasserite regime!

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The Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madressa, built between 1356 -1363, is considered to be the masterpiece of all Cairo's early Mamluk buildings. Conceived initially as a medressa, such was the grandeur and beauty of the attached mosque and because of its proximity to the Citadel it soon became a congregational mosque. Measuring 65 by 140 metres it was the largest mosque ever built in the city to that time and even today remains one of Cairo's grandest structures. Originally meant to have 4 minarets, only two remain, one an original, the other dating from the 17th century. A third was constructed but it fell in 1361, before the building was even completed. This event, which killed hundreds of workers, was considered an ill omen and when Sultan Hassan disappeared, never to be seen again, before the building was complete, the omen was confirmed. Perhaps the fact that the mosque was financed with money taken from the estates of victims of the Great Plague that struck Cairo in 1348 was a factor!

For all its massive size, the mosque is a miracle of lightness and space, with exquisite and delicate decoration that features not only Islamic designs but also elements of other faiths and cultures, including some beautiful Chinese flower symbols. The four huge iwans were each dedicated to different rites of Sunni observance

The mosque is open to non-Muslims who are dressed in a suitably modest fashion.

The southernmost of the great funerary complexes in the Northern Cemetary, this is a relativly compact structure- there's no enclosed courtyard and it's most remarkable feature is it's pair of exquisite carved stone domes, featuring a complex geometry of interlaced hexagons graduating to pentagons entwined by sinuous arabesques.

The interiors are no letdown either, beautifully proportined and richly decorated without being overpowering.

Dedicated to Emir Ahmad al-Mihmandar, this complex was built in 1325 AD. The emir earned his name from his function as mihmandar, i.e. "Chief of Protocol," or rather the "meet & greet" person, during the reign of the Mamluke Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad. The complex contains a mausoleum, a mosque and a madrassa (theological school). The structure is a typical Mamluke-style building with an ornate muqarnas crowning the entrance.

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One of the most beautiful mosques in Cairo, Mosque of Al-Mu'ayyad was completed in 1422 on the site of a prison. Historians tell us that the Mamluke Sultan al-Mu'ayyad, who commissioned the mosque, had been himself imprisoned in this prison before he held power, and had vowed to replace it with a mosque should he come to power. His wishes came true for he built this exquisite mosque which initially also functioned as a madrassa (theological school). The mosque's façade is striped with red and white stones, while the grand portal contains an impressive muqarnas (stalactite) half dome. The interior of the mosque is made up of a spacious courtyard that leads into a prayer hall, both of which are topped by repetitive high pointed arches, supported by Corinthian columns, probably recycled from ancient ruins and abandoned churches. Two minarets belonging to the mosque were built on either side of the adjacent Fatimid gate, Bab Zuweila. The Mosque of al-Mu'ayyad, a manifestation of the most glorious of Mamluke-period architecture, recently underwent an excellent restoration project that brought it to its former glory.

For more photos of this architectural masterpiece, check out the travelogue: "Mosque of al-Mu'ayyad."

Madrassa of Gamal el-Din Ustadar is one of only three madrassas (theological schools) in Cairo to have dedicated its studies to all four branches of Sunni Islam (one of the other three is the majestic Madrassa of Sultan Hassan). Its interior courtyard thus has four iwans (porticoes), one for each branch. The exterior is typically Mamluke style, with an ornate portal consisting of a stalactite (muqarnas) half dome and striped façade. It was built in 1407 by Gamal el-Din, who was the butler (ustadar) of the Mamluke Sultan Farag ibn Barquq. The area and street surrounding the mosque is known as al-Gamaliyya, after his own name. The madrassa is located on the long narrow streeting linking Bab el-Nasr with el-Azhar area.

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This mosque was built in 876 AD by Ibn Tulun as the centre of a settlement north of Al Fustat. Architecturally it is remarkable for it's epic size and formal simplicity and also it's extraordinary spiral minaret, offspring of that at Samarra. It gains it's effect from the contrast between sweeping austerity and restrained but rich decorated surfaces: the wonderful stucco work is confined to the aches of the arcade. and the outside windows.

Much influenced by the Grand Mosque of Samarra, particularly in the design of the minaret, with it's external spiral staircase, but also in its detailing.

There used to be a wooden frieze bearing about a quarter of the Qu'ran carved in Kufic script running the entire inner perimeter of the inner wall just below the ceiling but much is now missing. The minbar is a later addition and although beautiful enough it's ornateness is alien to the prevailing aesthetic of the building.

Free to enter, but baksheesh appropriate for looking after your shoes (or in this vast, effectively open-air, mosque for the shoe covers if you don't want pigeonshit on your socks) and for opening the minaret, which is actually a separate structure at the opposite end to the quibla wall within the mosque's formidable outer enclosure.